


Dream in a Dream

by wanderingsilverangel



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Cat/Human Hybrids, Cute, Fluff and Angst, Hybrids, Johnny saves ten, M/M, Physical Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-10-23 01:15:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17673623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wanderingsilverangel/pseuds/wanderingsilverangel
Summary: Johnny wasn't supposed to find a hybrid when they took down Jongyul. But he did and now Ten is his to take care of.-------Aka, I love hybrid AU's and Johnten is like my number one otp. So here's this mess of angst and fluffy endings.





	Dream in a Dream

Not for the first time, Ten is struggling to sleep. The remnants the day’s punishment makes his body throb in pain. He can’t move without wanting to cry out. Every bruise, be it black, blue, purple, or green, reminds him of his wrongdoings. He shouldn’t have taken off the collar. It’s against the rules and he knew better. It shouldn’t have happened. 

He shifts, trying to get in a comfortable enough position that he can fall asleep. Ten bites back a yelp as he unknowingly sits on his tail. With nervous eyes, he glances back at Jongyul’s sleeping form. His breath catches in his throat as the man shifts in his bed but Jongyul just rolls over and falls back into his steady breaths. Ten sighs in relief. If he had managed to wake Jongyul up, there would be hell to pay. Ten shudders. 

His movement, however slight it was, sends a fresh wave of pain through his body. He grits his teeth to not cry out. He curls into a ball around his stomach, a central point for all of his pain. The movement rattles the chain connecting the collar around his neck to the wall. Jongyul’s had the chain there ever since he found out that Ten was pushing through the pain of the electric collar to get to the kitchen at night. Now he has an electric collar and a chain. 

Movement outside captures Ten’s attention. Ten lifts up on his elbows, ignoring the pain, to get a better look at the door. The light outside is still dark. Ten tilts his head in confusion. There shouldn’t be anyone here. Jongyul didn’t invite anyone over. 

The light shuffling confuses Ten. If Jongyul had a friend come over suddenly, then they would just walk right in. He leans closer, careful not to rattle the chain too loudly, swiveling his ears to try and hear more. 

A loud bang pulls a yelp from Ten’s lips. The force of the door slamming open knocks a picture frame off a shelf. Light immediately blinds him. Ten struggles between clutching his ears or his eyes as he scrambles backward, further into to corner. The chain rattles and Ten focuses on that, trying to gain awareness of his surroundings again. His ears are ringing slightly and black spots dance in his vision. 

Everything is too loud and yet so far away at the same time. From his limited vision, he can see people dressed in black wrestling Jongyul from his bed. If Ten focuses, he can hear the curses and screams that leave those hateful lips. A whimper falls from his own.

It takes a moment for him to see the man crouched in front of him. He’s tall, that much Ten can see even if he is squatting, and he’s human. There’s a mask hanging from the man’s neck, exposing his face. Like himself, the man in front of Ten has distinctly foreign features. His hair is a light brown, some strands hanging in his face. Ten doesn’t even realize the man has been speaking until he sees his lips move. 

“What?” Ten croaks. His voice is raspy and rarely used. Warm tears stream down his face, not helping his voice stay steady. 

“I’ve been asking what your name is, sweetheart. My name is Johnny,” the kind man, who has now been named, has a soothing and gentle voice. A little of the previous fear subsides. 

“Ten,” he replies. 

“Okay Ten, I’m going to get you out of here,” Johnny states. He inches closer, his hands reaching for Ten’s neck. 

Panic rushes through Ten’s veins. He whimpers again and pushed himself further into the corner, ignoring the pain of his protesting body. 

“Okay, okay, shh, Ten it’s okay,” Johnny soothes. Another pitiful whimper pushes itself out of Ten’s throat. “I need to get that collar off, okay Ten?” 

“Shock collar. It hurts,” Ten whimpers. 

“Fuck,” Johnny curses. “Okay, I have an idea, but you need to let me get closer, is that okay?” 

Ten swallows thickly and nods. Every muscle in his body tenses as Johnny inches closer. He tucks his knees to his chest and wraps his arms around them. Ten watches him carefully as Johnny settles beside him. Johnny’s hand raises and Ten flinches. He screws his eyes shut and braces for what will surely be a painful strike. He knows Johnny has been gentle and kind up until now, but he’s a human, and humans bring only pain. 

Ten’s eyes shoot open when Johnny’s fingers run through his hair instead of landing a strike across his face. He searches Johnny’s dark eyes for anything malicious but he finds nothing but warmth. Ten sucks in a shaky breath before leaning into Johnny’s touch. It’s been a long time since anyone has shown him real affection. 

Johnny scratches behind Ten’s ear and a broken purr rumbles in the back of Ten’s throat. He leans in further, nuzzling into Johnny’s hand. He’s so focused on the amazing feeling of Johnny running his fingers through his hair, he nearly missed the soft click of something falling into place. Ten opens his eyes and glances around, trying to figure out what the sound was. 

Soon, Johnny is scratching behind his ear again and Ten feels his eyes flutter closed. He leans into the hand again. Another more stable purr rumbles in his throat. 

“Hey, sweetheart, I need you to hold still for a second and not panic, okay? Can you do that?” Johnny asks. Ten cocks his head in confusion but nods slowly. “This might hurt a little but it won’t last long, I promise.” 

Ten tries to quell the panic rising in his chest as Johnny pulls the already too tight collar away from his neck. As the bruises are revealed, Ten can see a flash of anger in Johnny’s eyes. Cold metal grazes his neck and panic sets in. 

Ten jerks away from the blade, trying to push himself into the wall again. Johnny lets go of the collar and puts the knife on the ground. He sighs deeply before speaking. “Ten, I need to get the collar off. I don’t have another way to do it without hurting you. Please, I know it’s hard, but just trust me.”

  Ten’s eyes are trained on the knife, the image blurry with tears. Johnny’s hand reaches out and gently guides Ten to look at his face. He wipes away Ten’s tears with the pad of his thumb. “Sweetheart, I know this is scary, okay? But I need you to trust me.” Ten swallows around the lump of fear and nods. Johnny smiles softly. “Okay, come here.” 

Ten slowly moves so that he’s sitting beside Johnny again. Johnny runs his fingers through Ten’s hair and rubs his ears a couple of times before asking, “Are you ready?” 

Ten nods. He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes as Johnny pulls at the collar again. The cold metal brushes against his neck again and every muscle tenses. A sharp tug and then a snap and the collar falls away. Air rushes back into Ten’s deprived lungs. Johnny rubs his back while Ten regains his breath. Johnny’s soft voice whispers words of encouragement. 

“Thank you,” Ten whispers hoarsely. 

“Of course, now come on sweetheart, let’s get you to a hospital,” Johnny says as he stands up. “Can you walk?” 

“I think so,” Ten replies as he grabs the hands Johnny holds out for him. His legs shake with the effort of holding up his body. Ten takes a deep breath. 

His legs buckle and his vision goes dark as soon as he attempts the first step. Johnny is lowering him gently to the floor when he can think about anything but the pain again. The reassuring words are back but Ten barely hears them. It’s all he can do to bring his breathing back to a normal rate. When he can finally breathe again, Ten realizes there are tears streaming down his face. Choking down a hiccup, Ten buries his face in Johnny’s chest. 

Johnny sits there and allows Ten the time he needs to calm down. All the while, he whispers words of reassurance and runs his fingers through Ten’s hair. 

“I’m sorry,” Ten chokes out as the tears start to run dry. 

“Shh, you have nothing to be sorry for,” Johnny soothes. He pets the top of Ten’s head, rubbing the backs of the fluffy black ears. “It’s going to be okay, I promise.” 

Ten nuzzles further into Johnny’s chest. Weights hang from his eyelids and Ten can barely keep them open. He’s so tired, he nearly misses Johnny’s question. “Hey, Ten, can I pick you up? Is that okay?” 

He nods against his chest and a few seconds later he feels Johnny’s arms hook underneath his legs and back. He picks Ten up easily, standing to his full height. Strangely enough, Ten isn’t scared. Adjusting to a more comfortable position, Ten wraps his arms around Johnny’s neck and buries his face into his neck. 

It takes everything in him not to cry out as Johnny carries him down the stairs. Each step jostles Ten and aggravates his injuries. His grip on Johnny tightens with each step. Ten winces as Johnny steps on the step that always creaks. A sob of relief nearly escapes him when they finally reach the bottom. 

“Seo,” A loud voice calls. Ten peeks out to see a tall officer with honey brown hair approaching them. A pair of light brown dog ears sit atop his head. Ten thinks about what the man called Johnny. He comes to the conclusion that Seo must be Johnny’s last name. “Who’s that?” 

“Wong lower your voice, you might scare him,” Johnny chides. ‘Wong’ scratches the back of his neck sheepishly and apologizes. “This is Ten. Apparently, Jongyul had him here chained up.”

“What?” Wong’s voice raises. 

“Voice.” 

“Sorry,” Wong lowers his tone but his voice is filled with rage. “But you’re saying he was chained up? What the hell? Are the bruises because of him too?”

“I think so.”

“That bastard.” 

“Yeah, look, I need to get Ten to the hospital. Can you drive?” 

“Yeah of course.” Wong nods. Then he turns his attention to Ten. “Hey Ten, my name’s Wong Yukhei. You can call me Yukhei, no need for last names, okay?”

Ten nods and a bright smile graces Yukhei’s face. There are wrinkles around his eyes that show he smiles a lot. It’s comforting to know that Yukhei has enough to smile about that those wrinkles formed. Ten believes he used to have wrinkles too but he hasn’t smiled in so long, he doesn’t remember what he looks like with them. Nonetheless, it still puts a small smile on his face. 

Outside the house, it’s loud and filled with people. No one pays any attention to them luckily, but Ten still shrinks in Johnny’s arms. He presses as close as possible to Johnny, small hands clutching at his shirt and ears pinned back. 

Eventually, he’s placed into a police car. Johnny sets him down in the back and leans over him to buckle the seatbelt. He shuts the door and talks with Yukhei for a minute or so. Ten pulls his knees up to his chest, trying to contain the slight panic of being left alone. He keeps reminding himself that Johnny is just right outside. 

With a sigh, Ten leans his head back against the headrest. It’s hard to sift through all of the emotions. For the most part, he’s just tired. There’s fear, excitement, and sorrow swirling in his stomach. But honestly, he’s just tired. Tired of everything. 

The sound of the door opening startles Ten into opening his eyes. He sees Yukhei get into the driver’s seat, but he doesn’t see Johnny. He immediately sits straight up looking around the car for him. 

When Johnny slides into the seat beside Ten, he feels a little ridiculous. Instead of sitting in the seat right behind the driver’s seat, Johnny takes the middle seat. Ten tilts his head in a silent question. 

“It looked like you were freaking out a little bit,” Johnny answers quietly. Ten smiles slightly and drops his head onto Johnny’s shoulder. It doesn’t take long for sleep to overcome him. 

 

A door slamming jolts Ten awake. Tears well in his eyes when he sees he’s alone in the car. The door beside opens and warm arms immediately engulf him. Ten sighs in relief and turns to nuzzle into Johnny’s chest. 

“It’s okay, I’m right here. There’s no need to cry,” Johnny says as he pulls back. He cups Ten’s cheek and wipes away the single tear that fell. “Are you okay?” 

Ten nods and wipes at his eyes. Embarrassment wells up in him at his easy crying. God, Johnny probably thinks he’s being ridiculous. Maybe he doesn’t show it, but there’s no way Johnny isn’t thinking about how ridiculous the whole situation is. 

Johnny unbuckles his seatbelt and if Ten had the energy, he’d whine about how he isn’t a child and he can do it himself. But he doesn’t so he just nuzzles closer to Johnny when he picks Ten up. It’s completely embarrassing that he can’t even walk, but he can’t do anything about it. So, he curls up as close to Johnny as he possibly can, trying to soak up as much of his warmth as possible. 

A blast of cold air hits Ten as they walk into the hospital. The white, forboding walls sends anxious shudders through his body. The entire room smells of sickness and cleaning supplies. It’s a nauseating combination. 

“Hey, Taeil, is Kun here today?” Johnny asks the man at the secretary desk. It takes a moment for it to set in that there’s a pair of fluffy black dog ears perched atop his head. 

“Yeah, he’s in his office. You can go on up. You know the way, right?” Taeil asks. 

“No, he moved offices.”

“Ah, I’ll have Dongyoung take you up then.” 

Johnny thanks him and turns to Yukhei. “Thanks for driving us. You don’t have to stay, I’m sure Jungwoo is waiting.”

“Let me know how it goes. I’ll see you guys later. Bye, Johnny. Bye, Ten,” Yukhei says before he leaves with a wave and a bright smile. 

“Dongyoung will be down in about ten minutes. You can just sit in the waiting room until he gets here.” Taeil gestures to the seats to the right of the desk. Johnny thanks him and carries Ten over. 

He attempts to put Ten down in a seat but Ten refuses to let go. In retrospect, Johnny probably could’ve made Ten let go easily, but he doesn’t. Instead, he sits down in a chair with Ten in his lap. A soft purr rumbles in Ten’s throat. The tension and anxiety that has built up in his muscles, relaxes as he curls around Johnny and buries his face in his neck. 

Johnny’s hand comes up and scratches behind Ten’s ears. Ten is pretty much boneless, at the mercy of Johnny. Somehow, that doesn’t scare him. Johnny is safe. Johnny will keep him safe. 

Ten isn’t sure how much time passes before a nurse with white bunny ears approaches them. 

“Hey, you’re Johnny, right?” the nurse asks. 

“Yes, I am.” 

“I’m Dongyoung. I’ll take you up to Kun’s.” Johnny nods and stands up with Ten still in his arms. The sudden change in height pulls a squeaky cry from Ten’s throat. His body and mind hadn’t adjusted to being awake and the sudden change is not a great experience. 

Ten’s face burns at the laughs from Johnny and Dongyoung. 

“Sorry for laughing, Ten, but that was adorable,” Johnny apologizes. The nurse doesn’t bother to apologize, only motioning for Johnny to follow him. 

The trio walks for a while, Kun’s office being in the very back of the building. Ten gets lost three hallways in. If he needed to get out fast, Ten wouldn’t be able to do it. The white walls all look the same and the brightness is starting to make his eyes burn. Instead of suffering, Ten decides to just bury his face back in Johnny’s neck. 

He doesn’t look up until they stop. When he does look up, Dongyoung is talking quietly with a dog hybrid with a kind face. 

“Hi, my name is Kun, what’s your name?” Kun asks. 

“Ten.” 

“Okay, Ten, just from looking at you, we’re going to have to do x-rays. I assume you know what those are?” Ten nods. “Okay, good. Let’s head to one of the rooms back here.” The last part is directed at Johnny. 

Ten has to force back a whine when Johnny sets him down on the exam table. There’s a mirror in the corner of the room and for the first time, Ten can see how bad the injuries are. Around his neck, there’s a ring of bruises, ranging from black to yellow. Through the ratty and ripped hoodie, Ten can see a plethora of bruises raging up and down his torso. He doesn’t even want to know how bad his arms look. 

“Hey, Kun, will he need to stay the night?” Johnny asks. Kun bites his lip, showing off sharp canines. 

“Maybe. It’ll depend on what the x-rays show. With luck, he’ll be able to go home today. Actually, I’d like to talk to you alone for a minute Johnny.” 

“Okay. Ten, will you be okay in here by yourself?” Johnny asks. Ten nods and Johnny smiles gently. “Okay, I’ll be right outside if you need anything.” 

They don’t shut the door all the way and Ten eavesdrops on the conversation. They talk in hushed voices but Ten can make out what they’re saying. 

“His injuries are too severe to be just a one-time thing.  _ That _ is repeated abuse. What the hell happened?” Kun demands. 

“I don’t know. I found him while we were arresting this low-level gangster. He had him chained in a corner, Kun. Chained up like some animal. It pisses me off that some people get away with that.”

“Do you know how long he was there?” 

“No. He’s been there for at least a few years though. He was terrified of me at first.” Kun sighs. 

“Okay. Is this guy at least going to be arrested?” 

“With luck. We at the very least have enough to make drug charges stick for a while, but I don’t know for how long.” 

“You better make sure this bastard goes away. Ten especially doesn’t need to know that this guy is still out there running around.”

“I’m hoping to nail him with domestic abuse charges too.”

“Good. Hopefully, Ten can give us more information.” Their talking stops and Ten hurries to make it look like he wasn’t eavesdropping on them. “Okay, Ten, I have a few questions then we’ll go do x-rays. Is that okay?” 

“Yeah, that works,” Ten replies. 

“Okay. First things first, is Ten your legal name?” 

“No, it’s just a nickname. It’s Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul. I’d assume any legal documents would be put in that name. My Korean name is Lee Youngheum though, so it might be under that name.” Kun scratches the names down onto the clipboard in his hands. 

“Okay, when is your birthday?” 

“February twenty-seventh, 1996.” 

“So you are twenty-three?” 

“Um, yes.” 

“Okay, I’m going to go see if there are any preexisting documents. Do you know if you’ve been to a hospital since you’ve been in Korea?” Kun stands from his chair and tucks the clipboard under his arm. 

“I think I came for a sprained wrist when I was eighteen.”

“Okay, I’ll be back in a little while.” Kun leaves with a clipboard in hand, leaving Ten and Johnny alone. 

“So, Ten, do you have anywhere to stay after you’re released?” Johnny asks, a nervous hand reaching up to scratch at the back of his neck. Ten suppresses a giggle at the awkward tone. 

“No, I don’t.” 

“Don’t your parents live in Korea?” 

“They did, but they died in a car crash when I was eighteen.” 

“Oh, I’m sorry.” The conversation fades and they find themselves in awkward silence. His hand still scratching his neck, Johnny clears his throat and looks at the floor as though it’s the most interesting thing in the world. “You, um, you could stay with me?” 

The statement comes out more like a question but it still fills Ten’s chest with warmth. The fact that he’d even offer to him, a hybrid, means more than the world. Johnny seems to take his pause in answering and Ten being uncomfortable because words start to fall from his mouth in a nervous ramble. “I mean, obviously you don’t have to. I know it’s kind of a personal thing and we don’t know each other at all, but I just figured since you don’t have anywhere to stay, you’d rather stay with someone you’ve at least met instead of a hybrid shelter. Plus that’s a giant commitment, let’s just forget I even brought it up, okay?” 

“I’d love to live with you Johnny,” Ten giggles, “Even if it’s only for a little while.”

Johnny’s head shoots up so fast he nearly hits it on the shelf that is precariously above the seat. “You’re serious? I mean, I already have two roommates, though Taeyong doesn’t take up much space, but there’s only two rooms which isn’t usually a problem because Taeyong and Jaehyun share a room and I take the other and guests typically take the couch. But I wouldn’t make you take the couch, obviously, I mean you’re injured and I’d hate for you to stay on the couch for a long time. I can just take the couch for a while, yeah, let’s do that.” 

Ten grins at Johnny’s adorable rambling. It’s cute and it makes it a lot easier for Ten to not be intimidated by Johnny’s physique which is too similar to Jongyul’s for Ten’s liking. 

“It’s fine. I don’t take up much space so I’m sure I could just fit on the floor somewhere. Besides, after this, I don’t think I’d be able to stay somewhere alone.” 

“I am not going to make you sleep on the floor, Ten.” 

“You’re not making me do anything,” Ten smirks. A wave of regret crashes over Ten as soon as the words leave his mouth. Every alarm in his body goes off, telling him to run. 

Ten sits dumbfounded when Johnny just chuckles and responds with “You’re more feisty than I thought. You should take the bed though, you’re injured. Sleeping on the floor probably won’t help those heal.” 

Ten attempts to respond, but no words come out. Johnny raises a brow. “Is everything okay, Ten?” 

“Jongyul would’ve hit me for talking back. I’m sorry, it just slipped,” Ten says quietly, eyes looking at the ground. His ears pin back in fear, scared that now that he’s pointed it out, Johnny will do something about it. His entire body trembles in fear when Johnny stands up. It takes Ten fighting every single instinct in his body not to bolt out of the room. 

“Ten, could you please look at me?” Johnny asks when he’s standing directly in front of Ten, his voice soft and comforting. Gulping audibly, Ten looks up, meeting Johnny’s eyes for only a brief moment before looking away again. He can see Johnny tilting his head, trying to catch Ten’s eyes in his peripheral vision. Ten takes a deep breath, closes his eyes, and looks at Johnny. 

A barely audible gasp escapes when he finds nothing but kindness and warmth, and just a hint of sadness. Johnny’s voice is gentle as he says, “You never have to be sorry for pure banter, sweetheart. Unless you intentionally, or even unintentionally, hurt someone because of what you said then you never have to apologize. Please don’t ever feel guilty for having fun. Can I hug you?” 

Ten swallows around the lump in his throat and nods. He opens his arms and allows Johnny to wrap his around Ten’s small frame. Warmth surrounds Ten, filling all of his senses. _ I feel safe _ , Ten realizes. For the first time in years, Ten doesn’t have every instinct screaming at him to run. For the first time, he’s relaxed. With this new-found knowledge, Ten buries his face in Johnny’s chest. He has to bite his lip to fight the tears from rolling down his face. 

“I won’t judge you for crying, you’ve been through a lot,” Johnny whispers. The dam breaks. Tears flow freely and sobs of relief claw their way out of Ten’s throat. Once it starts, he can’t stop. Johnny’s arms hug tighter and pull him closer as his shoulders shake. Johnny murmurs comforting words. 

Ten doesn’t know how long he cries for. Only that Johnny is there for him the entire time. At some point, Johnny maneuvers them so that Ten is sitting in Johnny’s lap, head leaning against his shoulder. As the tears slowly dry, a wave of exhaustion rolls over him. Sleep pulls at Ten’s eyelids, lulling him to the sweet relief of dreams. 

Before he can fall asleep, Kun returns. “Okay, I found records. For the x-rays, I’ll need you to put on a hospital gown. Which means you have to leave, Johnny.” 

Protests bubble in Ten’s throat, but all are silenced by Johnny’s gentle hand running through his hair. “I’ll be right outside if you need me.” 

Ten forces the whimper that attempts to force its way out down. Johnny smiles at him while he leaves. He stares at the door even after it shuts. 

“He’s right outside, Ten. He won’t leave, I promise. Okay, you can leave underwear on but I need you to take everything else off.” Ten nods and focuses on removing his shirt in the least painful way possible. Kun’s sharp intake of breath is the only confirmation Ten needs to know that his injuries are bad. Pants take a little longer with his ability to stand hindered, but eventually, Ten gets them off. Sitting in the exam room in only his underwear, the room is much colder than Ten expects. “Okay. So, where does it hurt the most?” 

“My neck and my ribs.” 

“Okay. Can you walk?” Ten shakes his head and Kun marks something off on his clipboard. “How much can you move without it hurting?” 

Ten demonstrates his range of movement while Kun continues marking things down. The process takes less time than what Ten expected. Kun is quick and precise in his instructions, leading to an easy procedure. 

“Okay, we’re going to go do x-rays. I don’t think you have anything broken, but I’d rather be absolutely sure,” Kun says. He hands Ten a hospital gown and instructs him to put it on. Ten stares at it for a second while Kun’s hand hovers above the door handle. “You have to put it on before I can let Johnny back in.” 

“He can come in now, I don’t really care.”

“He isn’t going to want to see the damage. Please, just put it on.” Ten sighs but throws the scratchy material over his head. Ten wrinkles his nose in distaste, already itching to get it off. “Thank you.”

Johnny has discarded the uniform jacket and is only wearing a white t-shirt. The white material stretches across his body in a good, form-fitting way. 

“Johnny, if you would please pick up Ten and follow me,” Kun says in a way that makes it a statement rather than a question. Regardless, Johnny hooks his arms underneath Ten and follows Kun. 

**\- - -**

Ten really wishes he didn’t feel the need to curl up and go to sleep. That would make this process much easier. As it is, he can feel the weights hanging off of his eyelids, dragging them down by force. 

As though sensing his sleepiness, which at this point Ten wouldn’t doubt it, Johnny says, “Go to sleep, Ten. I’ll wake you up when Kun comes back.” Ten doesn’t get a say in this because Johnny brings his hand up to scratch at the back of Ten’s ears and the wave of sleep crashes over him. 

It’s a while before Kun comes back, so long in fact, that Johnny falls asleep with his head leaning against the window behind him. Johnny could be content to stay like this for the rest of the night, though he knows his back would regret it in the morning. Even though his legs are starting to go numb, having a lightly purring hybrid in his lap is much more comfortable than Johnny would’ve imagined. 

“I’m back—oh,” Kun cuts himself off. He sighs before gently shaking Johnny’s shoulder. “Johnny, wake up.” He doesn’t stir so Kun shakes a little harder. “Come on you lazy ass, wake up.” 

Eventually, he blinks his eyes open. Johnny grunts out a rough, “What?”

“Ten can go home. We’ll schedule a time for him to come back if he discovers something muscular that we didn’t see. I assume you’ll sign for him?” Johnny nods. “Okay, meet me down by the front desk with Taeil.” 

Johnny rubs the sleep from his eyes as Kun leaves the room. He put his jacket around Ten’s shoulders and his phone is digging into his butt, which means he shouldn’t have anything to grab. Johnny pops his neck and lifts Ten once again. The hybrid doesn’t stir which makes Johnny breathes a sigh of relief. 

The confusing mess of white hallways disorientates Johnny. Winding his way through them all takes more time than he’d care to admit. When he finally makes it to the front desk, Johnny feels ready to drop. 

He sets Ten down in one of the seats of the lobby and grabs the paperwork necessary. Johnny has always despised paperwork. It’s one of the worst parts of being a cop. Miles and miles of paperwork. A weight made of dread falls on Johnny’s shoulders as he realizes how much paperwork will be involved from this last case. 

Halfway through, Johnny realizes that he has no ride home. Yukhei left with the car and Kun will probably be here all night due to his graveyard shift. Johnny groans. Against his shoulder, Ten shifts. Johnny stills, praying he didn’t wake the other up. Ten settles back into the peaceful sleep and Johnny breathes a sigh of relief. 

He finishes up the paperwork in record time. He focuses the last of his mental energy on this one task. At the end, it seems that every brain cell is just done for the night. It’s impossible to create one intelligent thought in his sleep-deprived mind. 

When he sits back down and places Ten’s head back on his shoulder, Johnny realizes he still hasn’t solved the ‘no-ride-home’ issue. 

With a resigned sigh, Johnny dials his step-brother’s number, knowing he’ll owe Jaehyun a favor now. 

“What and who is it?” Jaehyun asks groggily, his voice rough from sleep. 

“It’s Johnny. I need you to come pick me up from the hospital.” 

“What?” Jaehyun asks, his voice sounding more alert than before. “You’re at the hospital? Did you get hurt on a case? What the fuck happened Johnny, and why didn’t you call sooner?” 

“Calm down, it’s not me who’s hurt. It’s a hybrid I found while on a case. Yukhei already left and I don’t have a ride.” 

“Fuck, you scared the shit out of me. Is the hybrid alright?” 

“Yeah, I think he’s going to be.” Johnny glances down as Ten’s gentle face, his worry and stress soothed by the bliss of sleep. “He doesn’t have anywhere to go though, so I figured he could stay with us for a while. Even if it’s only until he can get back on his feet.” 

“Okay. Yong and I will be there in a bit. Which hospital?” 

“New Culture Technology for Hybrids.”

“Okay, hang tight. We’ll be there in about fifteen minutes.”

“Okay, see you then.” Johnny hangs up the phone and leans his head against the wall. 

“Who was that?” Johnny startles, not realizing that Ten was awake. 

“My step-brother, Jaehyun. He’s going to come pick us up. You should really get some sleep.” 

“So should you. You haven’t slept in a while, judging from the bags under your eyes,” Ten mutters. Johnny smiles fondly. 

“Yeah, it’s been two days. We were prepping for the raid and I didn’t get time to sleep.” Ten shifts so his fuzzy ears are pressing against Johnny’s neck, tickling the skin there. Ten’s face scrunches up cutely as a yawn leaves his lips. 

“You should sleep.”

“I need to wait until Jaehyun gets here.” 

“Then I’ll stay up and keep you company. So, what are your roommates like? You said you had two earlier.” 

“Yeah, Taeyong and Jaehyun. They’re dating so they share a room but honestly, they’re great roommates. Taeyong is a little bit of a neat-freak so the apartment is generally clean. Jaehyun is pretty quiet so he never really causes problems, we just tend to butt heads occasionally.”

“That’s nice. I’m sure they’re great. Are any of them hybrids?” Ten asks curiously. 

“Yeah, Taeyong is. Will that be an issue?” Ten shrugs. 

“It won’t for me but it’ll depend on how territorial Taeyong is. I’m coming into his territory, in a sense, so I don’t really have a say. I’m not going to cause an issue if it isn’t necessary.”

“Taeyong has never had an issue with other hybrids before so it should be fine.” Ten shakes his head in disagreement. 

“This is different. I’m coming into his space for an extended period of time. That can cause a flare in territorial instincts.”

“I see. Well, Taeyong is generally very sweet and gentle so I hope it won’t be an issue.” 

“Me too.” 

The two sit in silence for a while. After about twenty minutes, two figures walk through the door. Even with his sleep hazed mind, Johnny recognizes Taeyong and Jaehyun. He waves the two over while attempting to wake up Ten, who managed to fall asleep once again. Johnny nudges his shoulder up to lift Ten’s head. Ten blinks his eyes open and gives Johnny a half-hearted glare. 

“Hey, Johnny,” Taeyong greets. Taeyong’s black ears twitch as he takes in Ten. The two hybrids stare at one another for a second, trying to gauge the other’s emotions. Then, Taeyong smiles. “Hi, I’m Taeyong. It’s nice to meet you. Jae said you’d be staying with us for a while?” 

“Yeah, if that’s okay with you.”  
“Of course, it’s okay,” Taeyong assures with a smile. “I’d love to have another hybrid around permanently.” 

“Oh, I forgot to introduce myself,” Ten laughs. “I’m Ten.”

“I’m Jaehyun,” the black-haired man beside Taeyong greets. “We should—” Jaehyun cuts himself off with a yawn. “Sorry, we should get going. It’s nearly three am.” 

“Agreed,” Johnny says. He stands up and the popping of his joints is audible. Yeah, sleeping in a hospital chair was definitely not good for his body. Nevertheless, Johnny hooks his arms under Ten and lifts him up with ease. Johnny makes a mental note to be sure Ten eats more because it shouldn’t be this easy to lift him. 

Ten is nearly asleep again by the time Johnny places him in the car, the gentle swaying rocking him into slumber. He startles awake as the car doors slam shut. Anxiety bubbles in his chest when he can’t find Johnny. 

Ten breathes a sigh of relief when he sees Johnny open the door and slide into the seat beside him. He reaches for Johnny’s hand, too tired to register the wave of embarrassment at the childish gesture. Johnny gently laces their fingers together without hesitation. 

“So, Ten, where are you from?” Taeyong asks, turning around in the passenger seat to face him. 

“Bangkok, Thailand. I moved here when I was fifteen. I’m twenty-two now.”

“Then don’t you have a family member you could stay with?” Jaehyun asks from the driver’s seat. He glances back with concern swimming in his eyes. 

Ten shakes his head. “My parents died in a car crash right before I turned eighteen. They were the only ones living here.” 

“I’m sorry, Ten. My parents died when I was younger too.” Taeyong smiles in a reassuring tilt of his lips. “I really hope you like living with us. It’ll be nice to have a new person around.”

“I’d love to stay as long as you’ll let me.”

“You can stay as long as you want, Ten,” Johnny interrupts. A grateful smile tugs at Ten’s lips. 

“Thank you, Johnny. That means a lot.” Johnny doesn’t reply, but there’s a fond smile that has graced his lips. 

**\- - -**

As they arrive at the apartment, the mood mellows into a dazed half-awake state. Even Taeyong, who was bouncing with energy at the hospital, is about to drop. Three AM does that to people and hybrids alike. As they open the door to the actual apartment, Taeyong kicks his shoes off and flops onto the couch, somehow retaining a little bit of grace in the movement. Jaehyun just sighs and picks him up with a grunt, carrying him to what Ten assumes is their bedroom. 

Johnny sets Ten down on a bed that smells like him (which leads Ten to believe the room is his). 

“I’m going to go grab some clothes of Taeyong’s that should fit you,” Johnny mumbles before he leaves Ten alone. It’s nearly impossible to fight the weights dragging his eyelids down. Ten is barely holding sleep back when Johnny reenters the room. He sets a pair of black sweatpants, underwear, and a white t-shirt down on the bed. “You can wear those for the night. I’m going to go brush my teeth and change in the bathroom. You can just change in here and I’ll carry you to the bathroom in a second.”

Ten nods and begins pulling the clothes on when Johnny leaves the room. The clothes are more comfortable than anything Ten has worn in a long time. Once he has the clothes on, Ten is kind of at a loss. There isn’t much to do but wait until Johnny gets back. Vaguely, Ten registers that the room is pretty cold but it’s more comfortable than what Ten has dealt with before so he dismisses it. 

“Hey, Ten, do you have clothes on?” Johnny calls from the other side of the door. 

“Yes.” 

“Okay, cool.” Johnny walks in wearing loose gray sweatpants and a  _ Chicago Cubs _ sweatshirt. “Oh, right, I almost forgot. Our air-conditioning is broken right now. We’ve been meaning to call about it for a while. Anyway, it can get cold at night. I’ll grab you a hoodie.”

Johnny opens a drawer and pulls out a tan hoodie. Grateful, Ten throws it on, instantly enveloped in the fluffy warmth. Johnny lifts Ten up and carries him to the bathroom. 

Given that Ten can’t actually stand, Johnny’s solution is to put him on the bathroom counter. Despite the unsanitary nature of this, it is quite effective. Ten glances at the shower longingly, desperate to get the hospital smell off of him. But that’s pretty much impossible without being able to stand up. 

Johnny sets him down on the bed once Ten had finished and turns to leave the room. Ten frowns. “Where are you going?” 

“To sleep on the couch.” 

Ten wrinkles his nose. He really doesn’t like the idea of being alone. “Could you, I don’t know, stay here?” 

“Are you sure?” Johnny asks. Ten nods quickly, a red flush creeping up his neck. “Okay.” 

Ten’s breath catches in his throat as Johnny turns the lights off and plunges the room into darkness. It doesn’t take long for Ten’s eyes to adjust to the darkness. Once they do, he sees Johnny approaching the bed. He slips under the covers, keeping distance between them. 

Ten pouts and closes the distance with a huff. He nuzzles into Johnny’s chest and boldly wraps the other’s arms around him. Johnny chuckles quietly. Ten tucks his head under Johnny's chin and presses his forehead into the other's chest. Johnny smiles fondly and places a kiss on top of Ten's head, right between his ears. Ten's face heats up at the gesture and he nuzzles further into Johnny's chest. 

It doesn’t take long, maybe a few minutes, for the lull of sleep to pull both of them under. 

**\- - -**

Years later, Ten and Johnny find themselves living in domestic bliss. Ten found a job that he loves at a dance studio teaching younger kids and Johnny left the police force after writing a couple of books. Ten’s physical and mental wounds have healed and he couldn’t be happier. Despite having moved out into their own apartment, Taeyong and Jaehyun are still around quite a lot. 

This current Saturday, it’s only Johnny and Ten. Ten is curled up on the couch watching movies while Johnny is holed up in their room typing away. Everything is peaceful. 

Well, until there’s an insistent knocking at the door. Ten frowns. Taeyong always texts before he comes over (he doesn’t necessarily ask, per se, but he does give a heads up). As far as he’s aware, Johnny isn’t expecting anyone. 

Deciding to check with Johnny, Ten springs up from the couch. He flinches when the knocking gets louder. “Hey, Johnny, did you invite anyone over?” 

“No.” Johnny frowns and pulls out his earbuds. “Do you want me to go check to see who it is?” 

Ten chews on his cheek, a bad habit he developed. On one hand, it’s probably nothing and Ten is being paranoid, but on the other hand, what if he’s back? Ten knows Jongyul got released recently and it’s increased his paranoia. Eventually, he nods with a sigh. 

Johnny smiles softly. “It’s okay. You’re allowed to a little paranoid. You can just stay here.” 

He rubs Ten’s ears as he leaves. Ten sits on the bed and picks up Johnny’s phone.  _ Panic! At the Disco, of course,  _ Ten thinks fondly. Ten hears the door open and a distinct thud. Instantly, he’s on his feet, ready to rush to Johnny’s aid. 

Before he can take one step towards the door, a familiar figure steps into the doorway. His hair is shorter and he looks like he’s lost weight but there’s no mistaking it. 

“Hello, Ten,” Jongyul sneers. Ten’s ears pin back and his face twists into a snarl. “Now, now, be a good little kitten and come back home like a good pet.”

Before Ten can get a word in and spit out the obscenities is so desperately wants to let fly, Johnny tackles Jongyul to the ground. “Ten, call the police!”

Ten nods, though he isn’t sure Johnny can see him and grabs Johnny’s phone. He runs to the bathroom and locks the door. He puts in the password and takes a deep breath before dialing the police’s number. 

_ “Hello, what is your emergency?”  _ the operator asks. 

“My abusive ex is here and he’s attempting to hurt both me and my roommate,” Ten explains as calmly as he can. Surprisingly, his voice doesn’t shake. “I have a restraining order against him.” 

_ “Okay, sir, what is your name?” _

“Ten. My roommate’s name is Johnny. He’s currently pinning down my ex.” 

_ “And where do you live?”  _

“4272 Rosetta Road, apartment 11B.”

_ “Officers have been dispatched, please stay on the line with me.”  _

“Ok-” A knocking on the door cuts Ten off. 

“Ten, you can come out now,” Johnny says. 

“Oh thank God,” Ten sighs. He immediately unlocks the door and flies into Johnny’s awaiting arms. Tears of relief prick at Ten’s eyes as he buries his face into Johnny’s chest. A few seconds later, he realizes that he accidentally hit the end call button. 

“Are you okay?” Johnny asks softly. Ten nods, the tears silently rolling down his face. Frowning, Johnny pulls Ten’s face away from his chest. He cups Ten’s cheeks and wipes the tears away. There’s an emotion in his eyes that Ten doesn’t want to place for fear of being wrong. “Can I kiss you?” 

The sudden question stops the tears. Ten’s eyes widen and all he can do is stare in shock. He can see the shadow of anxiety already passing over Johnny’s face and only then does he realize that he hasn’t responded. “Yes, please do.” 

Johnny’s eyes and all too suddenly, he’s pressing his lips to Ten’s in a firm but gentle kiss. Ten’s eyes slide shut and his hands come up to tangle in Johnny’s hair. Johnny pulls away after a few seconds and rests their foreheads together. 

“I’ve been wanting to do that for two years,” he whispers. 

“Why didn’t you?” 

“I didn’t want to scare you. You were still recovering and you didn’t need a romantic relationship on top of that. Besides, I didn’t really think you liked me in that way.” 

“I do. A lot. I have for nearly three years. Though, I think the process started when you first asked me to move in with you.” 

“God,” Johnny sighs in disbelief, “That was four years ago. That’s insane.” 

“Time flies,” Ten agrees. 

A loud bang startles them out of their daze. Johnny immediately pulls Ten behind him. Yukhei rushes into the room, gun held out in front of him. 

“Yukhei!” Ten shouts happily. 

“Ah, you guys!” Yukhei holsters the gun and runs over to pull both of them into a hug. “Thank God you’re okay. When I saw the alert came from your apartment I had to come too. What happened?” 

Ten and Johnny give him the short version and Yukhei lets out a long low whistle. “So this is the same guy we arrested four years ago, back when we found Ten?” 

Johnny nods. “Okay, well, I’ll have you guys come down with me later. We’ll get his statement first.”

“Okay, thank you, Yukhei,” Johnny says.

“Of course, we miss seeing you. Visit sometime, got it?” 

“Yeah, I got it.” With that, as sudden as they had come, the three police officers left. 

“So this is a strange time to ask, but would you like to go on a date Friday?” Johnny asks Ten. 

With shining eyes, Ten responds, “Absolutely.”


End file.
